Economic and commercial activities gradually picked up in the commercial cities of Onitsha and Nnewi, as well as Awka, the capital of Anambra State, as residents shunned the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protest across the country.
Our correspondent reports that residents stayed inside during the early hours of Thursday, resulting in a partial decline in economic and commercial activity. Major thoroughfares and marketplaces were empty until later in the day.
Our correspondent, who went around major cities in the state, observed the presence of heavy security at major markets, government facilities, including the Central Bank of Nigeria office in Awka, courts, and the government secretariat. Banks, petrol filling stations, and some offices remained shut as workers did not report to work due to fear of attacks by hoodlums.
Further checks showed that major roads, initially deserted, and motor parks, initially locked, bubbled with activities later in the day.
There was no protest or gathering recorded at any public space, and the situation across the state was generally peaceful as most people preferred to stay at home as a way of protesting.
The ever-bustling Main Market in Onitsha and the Eke Awka market in Awka, which were initially very scanty in the morning, rippled with activities as buyers and customers continued to troop into the markets for one transaction or another in defiance of the protest.
A trader and one of the market exco members at the Onitsha Main Market, identified as Emeka, said, “We opened for business today, as you can see. Initially, there was apprehension and mixed feelings which made the atmosphere in the market scanty. Some traders who came in the morning just hung around and watched events as they unfolded before opening their shops. There is no protest in Anambra, and we are not interested in the protest as they have accused us and some of our leaders of always instigating protests. You can see everywhere is peaceful, and most people have remained indoors. The people who have come out are going about their normal businesses and activities without any hindrance, while some are just watching events unfold.
In the industrial town of Nnewi, most stores and artisans’ shops were open for business as traders and youths shunned the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protest.
Reacting to the development in a statement, the United Igbo Elders Council Worldwide expressed satisfaction, saying that the South East residents’ attitude towards the protest was based essentially on the differential attitude to human rights that the organizers have shown towards the Ndigbo in particular, and other Nigerians as well. The statement, signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Prof. Obasi Igwe, stated, “Right now, even before the August date, the Igbo are already being threatened, attacked, and molested in some parts of the country with no word of condemnation by those said to be fighting against bad government. Nevertheless, the Igbo population, being the major victims, understands the Nigerian situation very well and knows what can be done to address it, starting with ending the unparalleled oppression of Easterners.”
Abia State
Residents of the two major cities in Abia State, Umuahia, the state capital, and Aba, the commercial nerve of the state, stayed away from their shops and business premises on Thursday, August 1, following the uncertainty of the planned nationwide hunger protest.
The governor of the state, Alex Otti, had in a state broadcast on Wednesday appealed to residents not to join the protest, fearing that some unscrupulous persons might want to take advantage of the protest to cause a breach of peace in the state.
Recall that The Nation had reported that the State Director of the Department of State Security (DSS) had summoned heads of various broadcast and print media outfits in the state, including the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in the state, to her office. She was quoted as saying that the agency had intelligence that non-state actors were planning to infiltrate and hijack the protest.
Heads of other security agencies in the state, including the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), had assured residents of their safety in their various statements ahead of the protest.
People who left Umuahia for Aba early in the day paid as much as ₦2,000 for transport fares against the usual ₦1,200 for coaster buses and ₦1,400 for Sienna.
Black market petrol dealers taking advantage of the protest sold Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) for ₦1,000 per liter.
Few Point of Sale (POS) operators also took advantage of the closure of banks to charge exorbitantly.
Our correspondent, who monitored the compliance of residents with the protest, reports that although residents of the state did not participate in the protest, most of them stayed indoors.
Major markets in Aba, including Ariaria, Ahia Ohuru, Cemetery, and others, which usually recorded a huge presence of shoppers and visitors, had their gates shut.
Commercial banks, fast food centers, major inter- and intra-city transport companies, petrol stations, and other business centers in the state did not open for business activities, leaving their customers to resort to available alternatives.
A visit to some parts of Aba revealed that no policeman was seen on the roads within the city center.
According to our correspondent, a detachment of military personnel was sighted at Bata junction, where one of the lanes of the popular Aba-Owerri road leading to the army outpost at Bata junction was cordoned off.
Another batch of military personnel was sighted in another part of Aba carrying out a Show of Force operation.
Until the time of filing this report, the state has remained peaceful, with people moving about their businesses without any form of harassment.
Enugu State
Officers and men of the Enugu police command provided security cover for protesters taking part in the August 1 nationwide protest.
The protest got underway in Enugu around 11 am on Thursday, August 1, from Naira Triangle on the Expressway and terminated at Okpara Square, with the policemen, numbering about 20, calmly following from a distance.
The placard-carrying protesters, who marched under the auspices of Citizens Nigeria, sang various songs to indicate their grievances. Some of their placards read: “End hunger, reduce fuel price, Stop food price hike,” “Nobody is safe, reduce high-cost governance,” and “Reduce fuel price to end high cost of food,” among others.
Addressing reporters during the protest, the leader of the group, Igboke Onyebuchi, lamented that the federal government was becoming highly insensitive to the hardship across the country. “We all can agree that in this country everyone is suffering. Whether you are Christian, Muslim, or even unbelievers, we are all suffering. We are united in suffering. Whenever it comes to a solution, we are divided. The idea is that politicians have mastered the art of divide and rule. Now you will be hearing some voices from the Southeast, from the Northern part, from the Southwest, they will be telling us to endure. Endure till when? What are the chances that the government is doing as if they have direction? By now, we are supposed to have a clear direction as to where the government is going. Should we talk about the refineries that are not working? Should we talk about hunger? Should we talk about insecurity up North or down here in the Southeast and across the country? Should we talk about the unemployment rate? Should we talk about dollar increases day by day? What is the government doing exactly to address this to meet the needs of the people? As of this morning, we know that fuel is sold at ₦850 to ₦900. What are the indicators that things will be done right? I am happy that we came out in our numbers to solidarize with other Nigerians across the country,” he said.
He, therefore, called on President Bola Tinubu to work towards reducing the cost of fuel, saying that alone would go a long way in reducing the high cost of living.
Credit: The Nigeria Lawyer